One year later...
Yeah, I really did have it all wrong. I thought you'd find love and then you'd find happiness.
It doesn't work that way. I found myself across the country carving out a new life for me. Only no one wanted to hire me. And those that did, I grew to hate both them and myself. I lost myself. I was once worth something. I was valued. No longer. I searched but did not find.
I found myself flirting with grand ideas of being part of something great. I raised my right hand and took a chance. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. With fear in my heart and just the slightest bit of curiosity, I stepped off the bus onto the grounds that would forever change my life.
On those frozen grounds I found myself. I finally found the job I've been praying for my entire life. I love the lifestyle and culture. My job is exciting and rewarding. It's challenging but a challenge I know I can succeed in. Who doesn't want to be successful? Who doesn't want to go into work happy? I know I do. I see that I do have a future in this job. If you ask me where I see myself in 5 years, I can answer you. I have a plan. I have a goal. And I know how to get it.
Only this job is costing me my life. I live alone. I have no friends. No family to love. Just the companionship of my furry friend.
I met myself a couple months ago. It was me 5 years from now. Alone, with no children and no husband. She asked me when I wanted to start a family. I told her, "After I deploy and then we'll see."
She told me that she said the same thing once, back when she was married. She said, "Don't wait for the family you want. Your work will always make demands on you, but here I am, outranking you by quite a few stripes, telling you don't make the same mistake I made. This job is great but in the end, I wish I had made different choices. I had my priorities wrong when I was you. I should've made better choices. That's what life is really about. It's not about your career. Your career is a cold and loveless lover. If you let it, it will destroy the greatest gift you've ever received. Don't put the important things on hold because you want that next promotion."
I took a step back and looked over at my leaders; at the people I wanted to be. Many were divorced, alone, or single parents. I saw loneliness and struggle in their eyes. I recognized it well. I looked again and saw there were others who had a full life. They were the ones who made their career work for their family. Not the other way around. And these people were the ones who had found success in both their families and their careers.
I want to be the latter. It's time to turn things around before it's too late. I don't want to lose the greatest gift of my life. So with fear in my heart and a little bit of hope, I am resetting my priorities. I still have the same husband and the same job but I embrace them with a new plan and little prayer. If I don't get the next promotion or the next deployment, it will be okay. That is no longer the most important thing in my life. How did I let it take over?
Wish me luck.